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YES Club unveils new solar-inspired mural in downtown Newark

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Solar Energy Mural at YES Club

Kids at YES Club work on painting a mural highlighting the importance of solar energy, including the solar panels on the roof of their clubhouse in downtown Newark. The mural painting, is led by Tracee Laing at Healing Art Missions, and Gayel Childress who flew in from California to help the kids execute the mural on the back wall of their clubhouse.
Jessica Phelps/The Advocate

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Solar Energy Mural at YES Club

Gayel Childress, an artist based out of California, helps YES Club member Alex Jackson, 11, paint trees on a mural he and other YES Club members helped design.
Kids at YES Club spent the week painting a mural highlighting the importance of solar energy, including the solar panels on the roof of their clubhouse in downtown Newark. The mural painting, is led by Tracee Laing at Healing Art Missions, and Gayel Childress who flew in from California to help the kids execute the mural on the back wall of their clubhouse.
Jessica Phelps/The Advocate

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Solar Energy Mural at YES Club

Layla Thompson, 14, carefully paints flowers on a mural at YES Club that highlights the importance of solar energy, including the solar panels on the roof of their clubhouse in downtown Newark.
Jessica Phelps/The Advocate

Buy Photo

Solar Energy Mural at YES Club

Kids at YES Club work on painting a mural highlighting the importance of solar energy, including the solar panels on the roof of their clubhouse in downtown Newark. The mural painting, is led by Tracee Laing at Healing Art Missions, and Gayel Childress who flew in from California to help the kids execute the mural on the back wall of their clubhouse.
Jessica Phelps/The Advocate

Buy Photo

Solar Energy Mural at YES Club

Logan Byrd, a YES Club member paints trees that are part of a mural on the back of the YES Clubhouse highlighting the importance of solar energy.
Jessica Phelps/The Advocate

Buy Photo

Solar Energy Mural at YES Club

Kids at YES Club work on painting a mural highlighting the importance of solar energy, including the solar panels on the roof of their clubhouse in downtown Newark. The mural painting, is led by Tracee Laing at Healing Art Missions, and Gayel Childress who flew in from California to help the kids execute the mural on the back wall of their clubhouse.
Jessica Phelps/The Advocate

Buy Photo

Solar Energy Mural at YES Club

Kids at YES Club work on painting a mural highlighting the importance of solar energy, including the solar panels on the roof of their clubhouse in downtown Newark. The mural painting, is led by Tracee Laing at Healing Art Missions, and Gayel Childress who flew in from California to help the kids execute the mural on the back wall of their clubhouse.
Jessica Phelps/The Advocate

Buy Photo

Solar Energy Mural at YES Club

Kids at YES Club work on painting a mural highlighting the importance of solar energy, including the solar panels on the roof of their clubhouse in downtown Newark. The mural painting, is led by Tracee Laing at Healing Art Missions, and Gayel Childress who flew in from California to help the kids execute the mural on the back wall of their clubhouse.
Jessica Phelps/The Advocate

Buy Photo

Solar Energy Mural at YES Club

Kids at YES Club work on painting a mural highlighting the importance of solar energy, including the solar panels on the roof of their clubhouse in downtown Newark. The mural painting, is led by Tracee Laing at Healing Art Missions, and Gayel Childress who flew in from California to help the kids execute the mural on the back wall of their clubhouse.
Jessica Phelps/The Advocate

Buy Photo

Solar Energy Mural at YES Club

Kids at YES Club work on painting a mural highlighting the importance of solar energy, including the solar panels on the roof of their clubhouse in downtown Newark. The mural painting, is led by Tracee Laing at Healing Art Missions, and Gayel Childress who flew in from California to help the kids execute the mural on the back wall of their clubhouse.
Jessica Phelps/The Advocate

Buy Photo

Solar Energy Mural at YES Club

Kids at YES Club work on painting a mural highlighting the importance of solar energy, including the solar panels on the roof of their clubhouse in downtown Newark. The mural painting, is led by Tracee Laing at Healing Art Missions, and Gayel Childress who flew in from California to help the kids execute the mural on the back wall of their clubhouse.
Jessica Phelps/The Advocate

Buy Photo

Solar Energy Mural at YES Club

Kids at YES Club work on painting a mural highlighting the importance of solar energy, including the solar panels on the roof of their clubhouse in downtown Newark. The mural painting, is led by Tracee Laing at Healing Art Missions, and Gayel Childress who flew in from California to help the kids execute the mural on the back wall of their clubhouse.
Jessica Phelps/The Advocate

Buy Photo

Solar Energy Mural at YES Club

Kids at YES Club work on painting a mural highlighting the importance of solar energy, including the solar panels on the roof of their clubhouse in downtown Newark. The mural painting, is led by Tracee Laing at Healing Art Missions, and Gayel Childress who flew in from California to help the kids execute the mural on the back wall of their clubhouse.
Jessica Phelps/The Advocate

Buy Photo

Solar Energy Mural at YES Club

Kids at YES Club work on painting a mural highlighting the importance of solar energy, including the solar panels on the roof of their clubhouse in downtown Newark. The mural painting, is led by Tracee Laing at Healing Art Missions, and Gayel Childress who flew in from California to help the kids execute the mural on the back wall of their clubhouse.
Jessica Phelps/The Advocate

Buy Photo

Solar Energy Mural at YES Club

Kids at YES Club work on painting a mural highlighting the importance of solar energy, including the solar panels on the roof of their clubhouse in downtown Newark. The mural painting, is led by Tracee Laing at Healing Art Missions, and Gayel Childress who flew in from California to help the kids execute the mural on the back wall of their clubhouse.
Jessica Phelps/The Advocate

Buy Photo

Solar Energy Mural at YES Club

Kids at YES Club work on painting a mural highlighting the importance of solar energy, including the solar panels on the roof of their clubhouse in downtown Newark. The mural painting, is led by Tracee Laing at Healing Art Missions, and Gayel Childress who flew in from California to help the kids execute the mural on the back wall of their clubhouse.
Jessica Phelps/The Advocate

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Solar Energy Mural at YES Club

Kids at YES Club work on painting a mural highlighting the importance of solar energy, including the solar panels on the roof of their clubhouse in downtown Newark. The mural painting, is led by Tracee Laing at Healing Art Missions, and Gayel Childress who flew in from California to help the kids execute the mural on the back wall of their clubhouse.

Kate Dengg, Reporter
Published 6:08 p.m. ET July 20, 2018

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Layla Thompson, 14, carefully paints flowers on a mural at YES Club that highlights the importance of solar energy, including the solar panels on the roof of their clubhouse in downtown Newark.(Photo: Jessica Phelps/The Advocate)Buy Photo

Over the course of two and a half months, roughly $24,000 was raised. Forty-two solar panels, which are predicted to last from 25 to 30 years, were subsequently added to the YES club's building. According to Carol Apacki from the Concerned Citizens committee, the money the YES Club saves on electricity can be invested directly back to the kids.

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Gayel Childress, an artist based out of California, helps YES Club member Alex Jackson, 11, paint trees on a mural he and other YES Club members helped design.
Kids at YES Club spent the week painting a mural highlighting the importance of solar energy, including the solar panels on the roof of their clubhouse in downtown Newark. The mural painting, is led by Tracee Laing at Healing Art Missions, and Gayel Childress who flew in from California to help the kids execute the mural on the back wall of their clubhouse. (Photo: Jessica Phelps/The Advocate)

The goal of this project was not just to bring solar power to Newark but also raise awareness on this and other clean forms energy. So, the idea of crafting a mural was born.

Kids at the YES Club were asked to draw pictures that they believe represented solar energy. Those pictures were then formed into a single piece by California artist, Gayel Childress. Childress has traveled from Mexico to Mayan villages to Haiti on similar missions, but she spent the last week here in Newark helping the kids bring their ideas to life.

"You never know who you are going to touch with art," said Childress, as to the importance of this piece.

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Logan Byrd, a YES Club member paints trees that are part of a mural on the back of the YES Clubhouse highlighting the importance of solar energy. (Photo: Jessica Phelps/The Advocate)

While Childress, as well as a number of volunteers, were present for the week-long painting spree, it was the kids doing much of the painting themselves.

"The kids were absolutely amazing," said Tracee Laing, from Healing Art Missions, who spent the week working with the young painters. "This project is something they will be able to take pride in."

The YES club is one of the few locations in Newark to have solar panels installed. They hope by raising awareness other businesses and organizations will follow in their footsteps.